Super niche thing but I found this fascinating:
So I'm looking to use a public domain (pre-1926) period jazz song with deep male vocals for a commercial video.
I notice that the quality of everything recorded pre-1926 is pretty harsh and distant.
BUT I've found gems post-1926 (that aren't public domain yet) that sound absolutely beautiful... crackling vynil with that old radio charm.
I couldn't figure out why the huge switch up between pre 1926 and post 1926.
Turns out, electrical recording was invented in ~1925, which changed everything.
Night and day difference.